Lee Hendrie has told Treble-winning midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to ‘stay’ at Manchester City this summer and snub a rumoured transfer to the likes of Arsenal.
With Mikel Arteta keen to build his squad ahead of another Premier League title push next season, the former Manchester City coach has firmly set his eyes on Ilkay Gundogan.
The 32-year-old’s contract is due to expire at the Etihad this season and, once again, former Aston Villa player Hendrie thinks the German star has ‘gone under the radar’, as he told The Transfer Show on Sky Sports.
A player that doesn’t bulk under pressure, someone with an elegant touch and a footballing brain of the highest quality, even at his current age, Gundogan still has his best years ahead of him.
The likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos have proven at Real Madrid that, even in their mid-30s’, they can win the biggest of trophies.
That’s why Arteta probably wants Gundogan at the Emirates because he would elevate the club’s qualities to much higher levels than Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko did last season.
“I think he (Gundogan) has gone a bit under the radar, at times, when you look at midfielders, he has been one of the best around,” said Hendrie.
“In the Premier League, it speaks for itself what he has done. Again this season and he continues to do so. I think Man City have to try their best to keep hold of him, I really do. What he brings to that midfield area is quite unique in the way he can score goals. He can sit. He can do all sorts of roles in that midfield area.”
Gundogan is now a Premier League legend
With five Premier League titles to his name, the Manchester City star is, without a doubt, a Premier League great and one of the best to have played for his club.
That Treble-win, that volley against Manchester United in the FA Cup final, those two late goals against Aston Villa, will all go down in the history books, and in decades to come, they will create a great legacy for the German midfielder.
The great thing for Gundogan now is that he has accomplished everything he wanted at the Etihad, so whatever he wants to do next, he can.
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